Headlines By James Saunders 24th May 2019
When others remember us they may not recall the details but they will never forget how we made them feel. Thank you C11 and the best of luck to you all
As I stood in front of our C11 learners on their last official school day I had one simple message: legacy. I began by taking a nostalgic look back over the last five years and discussed the importance of the journey, not the destination, in shaping character. It is the journey that each and every learner goes through at Honywood that defines them and shapes their future self. Of course, we are well aware of the importance of exams and becoming qualified but when one gets to the end of that five year journey so much of who they will become will stem from the relationships and experiences of the journey, not the destination that we call the exam season.
In my nostalgia I shared my love for the 80’s video game “Frogger”. I find that Frogger is a great metaphor for life and school is merely one if its many levels. I am proud of how each and every one of our learners have played their own unique game of Frogger over the last five years. They have all endured a journey full of obstacles, full of barriers, full of choices, full of good and bad stuff and full of challenge. And it is in this journey that they have developed into the well rounded people they have become. Their journey has been one of relationships, of interactions and of shared experiences. It was such a pleasure to witness the impact that these things have had on both the learners and their Learning Group Leaders. As each Learning Group took it in turn to pay tribute to their Learning Group Leader they reflected back on how the experiences and interactions that they all shared had created the strong relationships that exist today. Many learners spoke about the little details - the things that made a difference. A smile in the morning, support when they were down, help with their studies, patience, tolerance and humour. But legacy, and those little details, are like footprints in the sand. When the water washes them away and the details begin to fade we have only memory to rely on. It is these memories, these impressions we leave on others, that mark out our legacy.
I think I saw that yesterday. Learners have left a legacy behind them; they will always be a part of Honywood. And the legacy of our teachers? This will live on through our learners in their post-Honywood journey. It has been a pleasure getting to know this cohort of learners, I wish them the very best and hope that they go on to live happy and successful lives. Have a wonderful half term break. Thanks to: Maya Robson 10KCo, Kate Southgate 10SLo and Frazer McLauchlan 10SPl for their support with the Coggeshall Listening Bench Project and the Essex Archives as they took part in an interview recording their account of school life in 2019. Congratulations to: Mr Rawlings and Mr CordyMcKenna who will be both leaving us at the end of the summer term. Mr Rawlings will be taking up an exciting new position as Director of Curriculum and Timetabling in Ipswich and Mr Cordy-McKenna will be flying over to Egypt to take up a new role as LDD Coordinator at a school in Cairo. Goodbye and good luck to: Mrs Barnes who leaves us this week to take up her new post as Vice Principal at Clacton Coastal Academy. Miss Weller who is joining the Plume Academy as head of Drama. We wish them both the very best. Summer Dress Code: After the half term break, and until the end of the Summer term, school jumpers are optional to wear. However, we still have a high expectation for our learners’ dress code and shirts should be tucked in the rest of the dress code should be adhered to.